Chapter 82: Think Of My Name

The three of them felt a renewed sense of hope.

The moment their eyes met, they understood each other without needing to speak.

Riko Amanai counted silently in her mind.

3—2—1—

“Run!”

At once, the three scattered in different directions they had agreed on beforehand.

There were only two Cursed Spirits—at least one of them should be able to catch a breather. As for the other two, it was up to their own skills now. Time to see if all that training at school had paid off.

Every person for themselves when disaster strikes.

That was their final team technique: united they burned bright, scattered they were just a mess. All they had to do now was avoid a direct fight and stall for time—just hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Maybe… they could even escape the hospital entirely?

The thought barely surfaced before they immediately rejected it.

Sure, Cursed Spirits usually stayed near where they were born—but that didn’t mean they couldn’t leave. If the three of them dared to flee, the curses would absolutely chase them out, turning it into a full-blown disaster.

Even if they committed seppuku afterward, it wouldn't be enough to atone for the consequences.

Their only choice was to hide within the barrier. But the hospital wasn’t big. Sooner or later, they’d be cornered.

Kento Nanami and Yu Haibara kept sneaking glances at Riko Amanai.

Where’s the backup?

Seriously—where?

How much longer?

But Riko avoided their eyes.

She ran away from the curses, then suddenly reached up and snatched the Fly Head floating above her. Coming to a halt, she spun around and shouted, “Backup’s here!”

Then, without hesitation, she hurled the Fly Head—

Right between the curses and the trio.

In an instant, every gaze—including those of the curses—locked onto that black figure.

All the pressure fell on the poor dog-thing.

It stared blankly at the two curses in front of it. It was a cursed spirit too, sure—but there was no such thing as “stronger among equals” just by default. Among equals, strength came down to pure skill.

And it… had none.

It was born weak.

“Go! Attack already!” came Riko Amanai’s voice from behind.

It turned its head, full of resentment. You weren’t like this before.

Its mirror-like surface showed no emotion, but anyone could tell exactly what it wanted to say:

Attack with what? How? I’ll die!

You need to ask the master for that!

Can’t you wait just a little longer?

Riko immediately facepalmed.

The two Cursed Spirits didn’t wait. Because of Riko’s brief pause, she was now the closest target.

So they charged toward her in unison...

“Help!! Sōjun...!” Riko cried out, eyes shut tight.

That cry, heavy with emotion, was like flipping a switch.

The Fly Head’s aura shifted. It turned to face Riko. From its mirror surface came the voice of Sōjun Minamoto, faint and broken:

“…think… of… my… name…”

The moment she heard it, Riko lit up with joy. She understood.

She screamed inwardly, over and over:

Sōjun Minamoto, Sōjun Minamoto, Sōjun Minamoto, Sōjun Minamoto, Sōjun Minamoto, Sōjun Minamoto...

Her emotions in sync, the Fly Head froze in midair. Its presence changed dramatically. The clumsy aura vanished, replaced by a controlled stillness. Its twin wings stirred the air as it hovered.

It flew forward, positioning itself between Riko and the curses.

In that moment—it looked like an angel.

Riko could only see it lean forward slightly, and in the next instant, it appeared at the curse’s shoulder.

Its hand extended, gently brushing across what could barely be recognized as the curse’s jawline. A glint of crimson flashed, and the curse froze in place.

Just a Grade 2?

Looks like this mutt’s power is way off the charts.

If I have to handle everything myself, what’s even the point of keeping this thing around?

The Fly Head darted toward the second advancing Cursed Spirit, shifting its body slightly to avoid the creature’s gaping maw. With a swipe of its claw, it sent the curse flying into the air. When it crashed back down, it met the same fate as the first—bathed in crimson, completely immobilized.

The movements were smooth and precise, not a single action wasted.

Moments later, it stepped forward and collected the black lines that marked the remains of the defeated Cursed Spirits.

Sōjun Minamoto also withdrew his focus.

The Fly Head and Chōchin-obake were different.

Unlike other assimilated curses that had become full extensions of his strength, these two retained their own will. That autonomy made controlling them a bit more complicated—they could resist his manipulation and make things messy.

But they had one crucial advantage. An advantage so significant that it outweighed the trouble and earned Sōjun Minamoto’s patience and tolerance.

Potential.

They were still fundamentally the same species. The Fly Head might even evolve into a Fly King—his benchmark was none other than Beelzebub.

The Chōchin-obake could also grow stronger through urban legends.

Sōjun Minamoto had already paved a path for their growth. All that remained was for them to follow it step by step.

He held high expectations for them both.

But that didn’t mean he would indulge them.

There were plenty of Fly Heads—this one wasn’t irreplaceable. Mutants capable of devouring their own kind to grow stronger were rare, but with such a large pool, he was confident he could find another to replicate this situation...

The Fly Head had regained consciousness and shakily flew back to Riko Amanai, trembling atop her head.

She gently plucked it down, aware the core had changed, but still cradled it in her hands with a smile.

“I’ll get you something tasty when we’re back,” she said cheerfully.

The Fly Head didn’t respond.

“What’s wrong? You’re still shaking—are you worn out?” Riko asked, concerned. She knew the feeling. After overexerting herself during training, her limbs sometimes trembled just like this.

With someone like Sōjun Minamoto channeling through it, of course it was overkill. Like handing a battle axe to a child—cramping up was only natural.

But the Fly Head had no intention of replying. Its thoughts were consumed with one thing: killing intent.

Sōjun Minamoto’s killing intent—directed at it.

The master was displeased.

It had to find a way to make up for it. Suddenly, it calmed down and asked Riko in return, “What kind of tasty food?”

Before she could answer, it added, “Right now, I only want to eat Fly Heads.”

If it could grow stronger, then maybe its master wouldn’t be disappointed. Maybe… he’d even praise it.

It gave a low, sneaky chuckle.

“Alright, I’ll catch some for you when we get back,” Riko said, seeing it return to normal and thinking nothing more of it.

The team regrouped—danger averted. The other two eyed the Fly Head with curiosity.

“Is that… a shikigami?” Yu Haibara asked.

“Probably a tamed Cursed Spirit. But with that appearance, I’ve got no clue what kind it is,” Kento Nanami said, equally puzzled.

A curse that looked that unusual should’ve stood out. Yet, after going through everything they’d learned, neither could recall any matching entry.

Could it be a completely new type?

That wouldn’t be surprising. Curses were endlessly diverse, and their textbooks got updates every few days—still, they could never catalog them all.

“I borrowed it,” Riko said, tilting her head up with a proud little smile. “It took a lot of asking before the master agreed to lend it to me.”

Using code names on missions was textbook protocol.

Even though most sorcerers didn’t mind revealing their real names, only newcomers stuck to the rule like it was sacred.

Everyone here had seen this curse at Sōjun Minamoto’s side before. They knew exactly who it belonged to.

But very few knew its name was Fly Head.

Riko kept that secret to herself.

She didn’t know if it would affect Sōjun Minamoto, but in situations like this, saying less was always safer.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the other two—but the more people who knew a secret, the less valuable it became. Sōjun Minamoto had trusted her with it, so of course she had to protect it.

She suddenly beamed, dismissed the barrier with a swipe, then clapped her hands.

“Mission complete! Let’s head back and celebrate with a nice big dinner!”